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Curriculum Updates
Increases in Foreign Language Curriculum
The Office of Catholic Schools is currently formulating a proposal to expand the curriculum to include additional foreign language instruction in our elementary schools. In addition to increasing grammar skills and cognitive thinking skills, the study of a foreign language helps students learn, understand and appreciate the diversity of cultures. With this new enhancement to the existing program, the proposal encourages foreign language instruction to begin in first grade as an exposure program (40-60 minutes weekly) and advance to a full academic program as the students move into the middle school grades 6-8 (120-180 minutes weekly). The Office of Catholic Schools has proposed the implementation of this initiative to be fully established by the scholastic year 2006-2007.
Arlington Diocese Philosophy on Technology for Catholic Schools
Advancements in our rapidly changing world necessitate the acquisition of technological skills to enable students to function in the 21st Century. As lifelong learners and followers of Jesus, students should strive to become citizens who are capable of making significant contributions to our global society. They must also become aware of the social and ethical impact of technology. To this end, the Diocese of Arlington endeavors to make our students not only knowledgeable, but also effective technology users.
The Diocese’s goal is to present and strengthen the skills students need to access, interpret, and synthesize information which is constantly changing. Thus, technology will be used as a tool for learning and developing critical thinking skills across the content area. Having students acquire these skills will result in the development of self-directed learners who can independently and cooperatively apply technology to solve problems and make informed decisions. Following the established end goals/target areas, given the varying resources at the elementary level, the students will be well equipped with a strong foundation to enhance their learning with advanced technology resources at the high school level.
Technology should enhance and enrich as well as extend the existing curriculum. It should be used in a variety of ways within the classroom and computer lab setting. The classroom teacher, the media specialist, the technology coordinator, and the librarian should collaborate to maximize the effective use of technology in support of the Diocesan guidelines.
Technology Update - New Database and software requirements for diocesan elementary schools
The elementary schools in the Diocese of Arlington have implemented and are utilizing Administrator’s Plus Odyssey software, which offers state-of-the art database management for school administrators.
Schools are also able to purchase various modules to create a system that meets their individual software needs. Some of the available features include:
• Daily Attendance module* |
• Standards/Skills module |
*Elementary schools have implemented these modules; the other modules are optional.